Magazine fire-arm



(No Model.) I

H. H. GRAHAM.

MAGAZINE FIRE ARM.

. Jaw

fivuengvrj Patented July 24, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. GRAHAM, OF CHICAGO, 'ILLINoIs.

MAGAZINE FIRELA-RM.

Z-IECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,535. dated July 24, 1888. Application fileIlJune 9,1887. Serial No. HOJOrR- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HENRY H. GRAHAM, a citizen oft-he United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, useful Im provements in Magazine Fire-Arms, of which the 7 following is a specification.

The nvention relates more particularly to a hand fire-arm in which the cartridges are drawn from a magazine formed with or attached to the gun, and are fired in a chamber formed by two rotating cylinders grooved on their exteriors and mounted behind a single barrel.

The principal object of my invention is to construct a gun which shall be simple in its construction and operation, but capable of rapid firing. 1

I make use in my present invention of two cylinders grooved on their eiteriorgand in the direction of their longest axes, to form semieylindrical cavities to rcceivethe cartridges and to form a firing-chamber in alignment with the barrel,said cylinders being adapted to receive the cartridges, retain them while being fired, and eject. the empty shells. In connection with these cylinders I prefer to employ a single barrel and a single hammer and to connect the cartridges by-some flexible medium, such as wires, and to store them in a suitable magazine. I

Other features of my invention relate to a construction of awater-jacket surrounding the barrel and intended to prevent thelatter from.

becoming overheated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a gun embodying myimprovements before mentioned; and Fig. 2 is atransverse vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig.1, looking toward the muzzle of the gun.

In said drawings, A is the barrel, which is shown as screwed into the breech-frame B.

Mounted in the latterare the two grooved eylinders O C. E is the magazine, and F the cartridges. The breech-frame is preferably/solid. It has an opening, B, in its bottom to permit the passage of the cartridges to the cylinders. A shield or housing, G, is secured at one edge to one side of the breech-frame, and extends over the tops of the cylinders to protect them from dust, &c. The cylinders are preferably constructed of steel, of a length equal to the length of the cartridge prepared to be used and of any diameter desired. Their peripheriesare provided with semicylindri'cal grooves or channels or cavities of a depth equal to about 0ne-half the thickness of the cartridge and of a; width at opening of the thickness of the latter. Any number of these channels may be provided; but it is preferable to construct.

the cylinder in such manner that ribs 0, of sufficient thickness to withstand the shock of an exploding cartridge, shall be left between them. These cylinders are mounted side by side, preferably on shafts D D, which have bearings in the breech-frame. The cylinders are soplaced that the ribs c 0 between their chambers adjoin each other and form a chamber in alignment with the bore ofthe barrel, and in which'the cartridge is fired.

\Vhen the cartridges F are stored in a magazine, ,as shown in the drawings, they may be secured in a chain by interweaving them with the wiresffin any convenient manner. The first cartridge being introduced through the opening B, the cylinders O C are rotated, drawing them from the magazine and presenting them successively to the firing-chamber formed by the cylinders. The continued r0- tation of the cylinders discharges the cartridgeshells still connected; or they may be cut off by any suitable means either at orbefore the firing.

The rotation of the cylinders is effected by means of the pawl 01' dog H, whieh'is pivoted at h to the hammer J, and engages ratchet teeth or notches 0- c, inder O. I 7

It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the front formed on the end of cyledge of hammerJ impinges upon the rear edge pa-W1 H. From this construction it rethat as the hammer is being brought to a full-cock it holds the curved upper end of 1 the dog in engagement with the ratchet-teeth onthe cylinder and thrusts the dog upward,

thus rotating the cylinder. The dog simply slips over the ratchet-teeth as the hammer descends. Both cylinders may be operated posi- ICO locking pin l, which enters holes 1' in the end of cylinder 0, and is actuated by the dog H. The pin I is normally held in engagement by the spring I. The dog H impinges on the curved edge of the locking-pin I below its pivot, and thus operates to release said pin as the dog is thrust upward and before it engages the ratchet-teeth on the cylinder. I employ an arm or lever, L, which may be ,pivotally secured to the breech-frame, as at Z, and de pends between the ends of the cylinders and the hammer J. This arm hasa hub, M, on-its front side adapted to fit the end of the cartridge, to receive the recoil of the shell after the explosion and to transmit the shock to the hammer, whereby to cock the latter. This lever also carries the firing-pin N, having the spring 11. The rear side of lever L has a notch, m, and the hammer J has a projection, j, entering said notch an. The ends of the grooves or channels a c nearest the hammer are chambered to form an annular groove to receive the flange of the cartridge-shell. I

I have contemplated making the gun cock itself by means of the recoil from theexplosion acting through the lever L upon the hammer J. This is effected by means of the cam-she ped projectionj and notch m.

In operation, the cartridge being entered between the cylinders O G by hand, the trigger is pulled back, and, acting upon hammer J, cocks it, overcoming the tension of the spring J. The swinging of the hammer operates to throw the dog H into engagement with the teeth on the cylinders C, androtates the latter until a cartridge is brought between adjoining channels of the cylinder and in line with the barrel. By this time the locking-pin has entered a hole in the end of the cylinder, and the latter is locked in position. I The point of the trigger passes the hammer, which is then thrown down by the spring, striking the firing-pin, and the cartridge is fired. The recoil of the shell caused by the explosion forces the arm L backward, and this acts upon hammer J, throwing it back to full-cock and releasing the locking-pin I, unlocking the cylinder,'and permitting the repetition of the operation. Thus it will be seen that all the firing is efi'ected by a single operation of the I hand--naniel y, the pulling of .the triggerand great rapidity of firing is secured.

signed to prevent the overheating of the latter from the rapid firing. This jacket maybe provided with a safety-valve of well-known construction and set at any desired pressure, in order to warn the gunner of the conversion of the water into steam and prevent possible explosion.

It is obvious that many modifications of the several parts above described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention-as, fed to the cylinders from a magazine secured above them, as shown in patents issued prior hereto. I prefer, however, to weave or connect them by means of the 'wi res, as described.

I claim I 1. In a hand fire arm, in combination with a barrel and suitable firing mechanism, two rotatable cylinders having grooved exteriors adapted to form, when the cylinders are. rotated, a firing chamber in line with the bore of for example, the cartridges may be the barrel, one of said cylinders provided on its rear end with a ratchet, anda pawl actuated by the hammer and adapted to engage the ratchet, whereby to rotate the cylinders, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hand fire-arm, in combination withv a barrel and suitable firing mechanism, two exteriorly-grooged rotatable cylinders, one of which is provided on its rear end with a ratchet and one with holes to receive the end of a locking-pin, a pawl actuated by the hammerand adapted to engage the ratchet, whereby to-rotate the cylinder, and a spring locking-pin actuated by the pawl and adapted to enter the holes of the cylinder, whereby to lock the'latter, substantially as described.

3. In a hand fire-arm, in combination with the cartridge-cylinder andhammer, a recoil lever pivoted at one end and depending between the cartridge and hammer, end adapted to engage the latter,

by said pivoted recoil-lever and transmitted to the hammer, so as to cock the latter. I HENRY H. GRAHAM. \Vitnesses: I I l I 0. C. LINTHIC'UM,

J. W. DYRENFQRTH. I

and its free and carryinga firing-pin, substantially asdcscribed, whereby the shock of the explosion will be received 

